#raised feeding bowls for dogs

[easyeat]

Enjoy EasyEat's Best Bowls for Dogs. To provide your pet with the best meal experience possible, we painstakingly balanced aesthetics and utility in the design of this dish. The sturdy design and ergonomic form assure long-lasting usage, while the elevated design facilitates simple access to food and water. With EasyEat's outstanding dog dish, pamper your pet with the finest.

[gh0stsp1d3r]

fully convinced that this is what jj acts like when he’s older and has his own dog.

In case you can’t tell I love jj with a dog.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

“Jj,” You called out his name, he came back inside with furrowed brows. He was mowing the lawn, and you were cleaning up the inside.

“Yeah?” He asked you, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the heel of his hand, you admired him for a moment before speaking again.

“Did you feed Mags?”

“Not yet, nah.” He shook his head, his blonde waves bouncing as he did so.

“Can you?” You raised an eyebrow. He didn’t protest, just nodded, already going into the kitchen and getting some food for her as you continued to scrub the table.

It was all so domestic- he loved it.

He grabbed the bowl, going outside and seeing his dog. She barked, wagging her tail happily.

“Hi, baby!” He said, matching her happiness. He rubbed the back of her ears with his free hand, smile spreading across his face. “Alright, daddy’s gonna feed you.” He spoke when she put his paws on his legs, panting at him, putting the bowl down.

“Oh, you are just the cutest little girl ever. Yes you are, yea you are.” He baby-talked her, you standing at the doorway with a smile, watching the scene. He began scratching behind her ear one more time before turning around.

“What? A man can’t love his dog?” He asked when he saw you, holding his hands up in mock defense.

“No. You’re so cute.”

“Nah. I’m not cute.”

“Mhm. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes, smile still on his face.

“Love you too.” You told him, going back inside and blowing him a kiss.

[fastcardotmp3]

future!steddie; long haul trucker Eddie; firefighter Steve ~1k words

It makes sense to Eddie, an obvious out when his world's gone to shit and he has to get away, that his escape route from Indiana is the same job his uncle left to settle down there and raise a kid with nowhere else to go.

Driving long haul means there's no one looking that close at a face that made it to the national news during his week on the run. It means living on the move, never stopping long enough to get stuck anywhere.

It means freedom.

It means loneliness.

He calls Wayne twice a week, coins in pay phones at rest stops while he's waiting for his hair to dry post-public shower, and that's enough for him.

Wayne has always been enough for him, and it would be hurtful to suggest otherwise; it would be disrespectful to the life Wayne helped him build, keeps helping him build with all that faith that had him never doubting an innocence questioned by everyone else in that God-forsaken town.

Twice a week. It's the only phone number he knows by heart.

Twice a week for weeks and then months and then years, driving cross-country and back again, it's freedom. He keeps telling himself it's freedom, that it's good, that he doesn't need anything more than that.

But driving long haul means there's a lot of time for thinking.

It means a lot of time for collecting thoughts up together and creating new meaning entirely.

It means that by the time he's twenty-one and twenty-five and thirty that he has tape after tape after tape where he's collected those thoughts aloud in the rumbling loud silence of an overnight drive.

Thoughts like who would I be if I'd stuck around? and thoughts like will they understand that this time running saved my life? and thoughts like I miss them, am I allowed to miss them, am I allowed to love them without ever really knowing them?

It means that when he stops for all but the first time in ten years, coming home to Wayne to find that Forest Hills is home to a couple more familiar faces than he expected, there's space for his words. His endless, looping thoughts.

Steve's got his own trailer these days, brings in Wayne's mail for him on the mornings he comes home from the night shift at the fire station and stays for coffee.

Steve's there across the way when Eddie drives up in a new-used flatbed truck he'd bought with his final paycheck on the day he hung up his hat and decided he'd been gone long enough.

Steve's there in stories Wayne only begins telling now that Eddie is home, endless retellings of a brand-new man who became a friend during a time when the name Munson was still a dangerous thing to carry.

Steve's there when Eddie starts transcribing all his dictated notes into something resembling narrative and character and prose and Eddie doesn't know the guy who jumped headfirst into another dimension, hasn't spoken to him since that week that forced Eddie to flee in the first place, but maybe he doesn't need to have those years under his belt.

Maybe it doesn't matter if Eddie knows a nineteen-year-old Steve Harrington, because he knows the twenty-nine-year-old one starting a matter of hours after he comes crawling back home, knows this grown and steady one who looked after Wayne when Eddie had to leave.

This Steve isn't stuck despite still living in the town that tried to kill him. He doesn't seem lost or without purpose.

He lives a simple life, working at the Hawkins FD and feeding stray dogs with the bowls he leaves out beside his porch. Robin comes and goes, seemingly dating her way through the Midwest's entire sapphic population and sleeping on Steve's couch in between live-in girlfriends.

There are old friends on the phone at near constant intervals in Steve's home, and there's that phone being pressed to Eddie's ear without giving him the chance to be terrified about what Erica or Dustin or Max might say to the guy who hasn't allowed anyone but Wayne access to him for a decade, what he might say back after so many years without proper human socialization.

Eddie has been moving for so long, stayed moving through the bulk of his acceptance of everything that happened to him, but there's a different sort of quiet here than what he found on the road, stillness, amongst the casual chaos.

There's similarities to life on his rig, sure, a certain routine to the comings and goings, only Eddie isn't hiding anymore and he's not thumbing through the same staticky stations anymore and he's not lonely anymore.

He doesn't know how to sit still yet, not really, but he stays up all night handwriting poetry on paper he once spoke onto tape on the porch of his uncle's trailer and sometimes when Steve gets home after dark, he'll sit with him.

He'll eat his dinner still in uniform and listen to the scratch of Eddie's pen and Eddie doesn't know him, Steve Harrington, but he's getting to know his neighbor Steve.

Ten years down the line and he's becoming solid right there in front of Eddie's eyes, becoming real, becoming something that can't possibly fit onto the tapes filled with nonsense and insights alike.

"You're never what I think you're going to be," Eddie admits to him one morning over coffee before Wayne or Robin have risen, before the phone has begun to ring, before the world wakes up and brings Eddie's life along with it, ready or not.

Steve smiles at him, amused and curious and cocky in the way he responds, "you're exactly who Wayne said you are."

It's an admission all its own, that Steve has thought about Eddie, spoken about him, in the time they've spent apart, even if it was only because he'd dared to keep Wayne Munson's company.

It's still an admission though, that in his absence, in his loneliness out on the road, Eddie wasn't forgotten by the watercolor skies over Hawkins, Indiana.

"Yeah?" Eddie breathes in those very skies, "and what did Wayne say I'd be?"

Ten years down the line and suddenly it makes sense to Eddie.

It makes sense in the morning dew on the lawn; it makes sense in the too-strong Harrington-brewed coffee; it makes sense in the wheels of his truck on a road that does end, eventually, and it makes sense in the collected thoughts and feelings, fears and dreams that he had to go away to decipher.

The freedom was in leaving, sure, but this? The coming home to Wayne and this porch and the man who lives across the way?

"Stick around, Munson," Steve Harrington dares on a morning like any other, "and maybe I'll just tell you."

Well. As it turns out, this might be the thing that saves him.

[venomous-ragno]

Ghost and König with a reader who has a big dog

Tags: Ghost x reader, König x reader, gn!reader, domestic, fluff

Warnings: None

König

• Puppy. Big puppy.

• Immediately drops into a baby talking your dog, petting him and asking all kinds of questions.

• Will buy a pack of dog treats and keep in on him at all times; you gotta remind him not to feed it too many treats.

• Your dog will love this man. König has the stamina to spend hours playing and walking the dog.

• Easily picks your dog up and cuddles him like it's nothing. Motivates himself during workouts that he's got to be strong to pick up that cute pupper of yours.

• Genuinely doesn't get how other people can be scared of dogs.

• Will invite the dog to sleep on your shared bed. Pouts when you say no.

• Good luck fighting for space with those two. They're big and will take up enough space to squeeze you to death; on the other hand though it's wonderfully warm in winter, but actual hell in summer.

• Beach trips anyone? König will take you and the dog up to the Nordsee, where he spent many vacations with his family as a kid. There's dog friendly beaches and good ice cream, what's not to love?

• König tries to call and text as much as he can when on deployment. He asks how you're holding up and in the bext breath demands a photo of you and your dog. He'll set is as his phone background.

Ghost

• More cynical than König.

• He's fought his fair share of trained dogs and knows how deadly they can be at the snap of a finger.

• He won't be mean to your dog or anything, but he'll keep a respectable distance until he grows fond of it.

• Dad and the pet he didn't want vibes.

• Very strict in terms of training, playtime or even simple commands.

• Despite that, the water bowl will always have clean, fresh water in it and food will be given right on time.

• The dog has its own resting place. Not on the bed though, never on the bed.

• Okay, maybe he's caved in and let the dog sleep on the bed with him once when you were gone-

• You can babytalk the dog as much as you like, Simon may raise a brow but will remain indifferent to it. But don't you start calling it the nicknames that are reserved for him and him only, you hear?

• Strong advocate of taking the dog with you on vacation. Goes out of his way to make arrangements so it can travel as comfortably as possible, but will grumble when you tease him about it.

• Soon he'll be called into action again. Simon leaves yet again in the name of duty, and it's tough to say goodbye - but he can rest easy now, knowing that you're well protected even when he's gone.

Tag list:

@greenkiki @simli.gul

[ohbabydollie]

some schlatt n latina reader hcs bc i can and i’ve never seen them done and it js makes sense in my mind

he absolutely loves celebrating holidays with you, especially in the winter time

“cut a small piece schlatt” you warn looking at him “but i want a big-” “i swear to god, if you get the baby” you threaten as he cuts a large chunk and starts eating it with his chocolate abuelita before suddenly stopping as you raise a brow at him

he spits something into his napkin

“le tocó el bebé! (he got the baby!)” your tía cheers as you stare at him

“you should’ve eaten it” you huff jokingly

he will speak to your family in spanish and understands them which is a first from a partner of yours and they like it very much

he’s loves the food

especially caldos y sopas

n stuff made mostly in the winter time (100% asks for caldo de pollo on the hottest day known to man)

now refuses to drink regular pack hot chocolate after drinking chocolate de abuelita and makes you make it for him when he’s craving some

like will eat 2-5 bowls of pozole if given the chance with tostadas

“mamá ya, he’s had enough to eat” you say picking up his bowl of pozole before your mom takes it “pero míralo, tiene hambre(but look at him, he looks hungry)” she says serving him some more “no le das de comer o que? (you don’t feed him or what?)” she asks placing the plate down as he grins making you roll your eyes

your tias y abuelitas LOVE him from how much he eats and how he’ll sit around gossiping and talking with them for hours

your younger siblings or cousins absolutely adore him, from gaming to playing soccer with him and will ask for him when he doesn’t come with you to a dinner or party

yk how they rent out bouncy houses for birthday parties

he’s helping the kids tipping them over and will unplug the bouncy house to mess with them as they start to yell

“why are you here? did jay come?” your nephew asks looking up at you as his mom smacks him on the head “pide la bendición primero menso (ask for blessing first dumbass)”

some of your family didn’t really understand his career at first until after he explained that making and posting videos makes him money along with his other businesses

“soy muy trabajador y tengo dos negocios (im very hard working and i have two business)” he explains as your family nods, especially your tios, in approval

speaking of tios, they didn’t like him at first

kinda standing there judging him silently, beer in hand until they offered him one and he responded in spanish

now they’re asking when the both of you plan on getting married, especially after hearing how “hard working” he is

has a love-hate relationship with the crusty white dogs or chihuahuas your family has

they will bark, bite and nip at him until he stops trying to pet and hold them

god forbid one of them claimed you as their favorite person because he is not allowed in your vicinity at all

“be nice, es tu papi (he’s your daddy)” you say, the dog growling at schlatt while schlatt gives it the cockiest grin “soy tu papi nuevo (im your new daddy)” he says going to pet the dog as it tries to bite his finger

makes jokes about you using him for a green card, money, etc. but won’t push your boundaries at all

“it’s either bisexual or bipolar and i chose bipolar when it comes with a fat ass in forbidden pants” schlatt tells the chat as you come in, handing him something to eat and walk out as he watches you, “yeah the red flags are looking green when you’re seeing them from behind”

likes your attitude, just the witty comebacks n stuff

especially when you’re around his friends and say something in spanish that will have him flustered while they ask for him to translate

if he ever genuinely makes you upset he’s at your feet, apologizing

“please please please please” he begs, on the floor “jay, it’s fine” you say crossing your arms in the way he knows it means its not fine “POR FAVOR (PLEASE) Y/N, ILL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT” he begs, pulling out his wallet

is probably the biggest simp known to man for you

will use anything as an excuse to show you off, like anything

even gifts, he’ll take a photo of the gift and post it along side a selfie you sent him just to show you off some more

flexes you to everyone from his friends to chat

“what does the schirlfriend look like?” he reads off, immediately grabbing his phone to show off the new lock screen he has of you “hot as fuck, i’ll tell you that for sure”

might write some more if u guys want it :3

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

Yandere Professor Hannibal Lecter x Female Reader

Chapter: Dog Days.

When your ex Professor Hannibal Lecter kidnapped you after you finished your school semester as his student, you were at first rebellious. Quite the fighter.

The first meal Professor Lecter cooked for you was none other than Oxtail Soup. He wouldn't let you feed yourself. That annoyed you.

Smiling, he used the spoon to fill it with the tasty liquid and held it to your lips. "Say 'ahh'.''

You blew into the spoon and it caused the hot water to splash onto the face of Professor Lecter.

He hissed in pain. He then put the bowl and spoon down. He slapped you hard across the face.

You were shocked. You clutched your face and felt a bruise forming on your cheek. No one ever raised their hand to you. Not even your own father.

"Listen, Bitch." Professor Lecter grabbed the bottom of your chin to make you look up at him. "I am trying my best and I will not tolerate disrespect."

For you whimpered as tears flowed down your eyes. How frightened you were of this man.

Professor Lecter's expression softened in pity and you think regret. He sighed as if he was tired. 

"Please cooperate." He held a spoonful of soup again. 

Slowly, you opened your mouth and sipped.

The next morning, you felt weird. You couldn't understand the feeling. It wasn't pleasant. It was, in fact, ugly. Your head hurt and it was spinning like a dark and creepy carousel.

Your throat itches and feels dry. The worst was your temperature. Both overly warm and then cold. Switching on and off. Causing you to be confused. You were sick.

Lecter wanted to make up for slapping you. He knew this was to be expected. I mean he did kidnap you and it was natural to be scared. He felt foolish for losing his temper.

But, his whole life he was respected. His parents spoiled him and would never refuse him. He was popular at school. And when he became an adult and then a successful Psychiatrist, he was always worshiped and respected.

He didn't like this new treatment.

He wanted you to love him back.

Lecter wanted to remove that chain you were wearing and live a normal life with him as his wife.

Well, he wants you to homeschool his future kids. Other than that, he wants a normal life.

Lecter had to wake early to go grocery shopping. He doesn't eat sugar. Only meat and vegetables.

He got the ingredients to make heart shaped pancakes.

He went to Pinterest to cook simple pancakes. He never cooked pancakes before and didn't want to screw it up. This was new to him. 

Lecter tried his best. He assumed it was okay. He added strawberries and powdered sugar. It looked decent.

He felt nervous. Normally, he was always confident in everything. With you, it was the opposite. He felt insecure. Oh, well. He shrugged his shoulders. Maybe it is because he loves you. In novels and movies, he read that people feel stupid all the time around their crush.

Taking the tray, he added soy milk and gummy vitamins. He walked down the stairs to the basement.

He saw you curled in bed. "Wake up, my dear. It is time to eat." Lecter announced in an authoritative voice.

When you didn't answer, he clenched his jaw in annoyance. The hard way again? So be it. Lecter settled down the tray on the expensive glass coffee table and walked over to you.

He ripped the blanket off your body. And to his surprise, you were still as a stone. That confused him. He felt your forehead and to his horror, you were burning up.

That caused his heart to pound in fear. You were sick! He then checked your pulse and opened your eyelid. A high fever you had. Lecter then covered you back with the blanket and went upstairs for medicine. 

Over the past two hours, Lecter tended to your every need. He gave you pain killers and fed you chicken soup instead. You got better.

But, still weak. Your ex Professor was currently sitting next to your bed pressing a wet rag against your forehead.

You poor thing. He thought. He held your hand lovingly and watched you. 

To his surprise, you began talking in your sleep. He blinked in curiosity. He didn't understand what you were saying at first. Now, he heard it loud.

"Mummy."

Ouch. You missed your mother. Lecter sighed. First you wouldn't accept his love, you reject him, he hits you, and now you are sick.

Everything was going wrong.

He is lost and doesn't know what to do.

Covering his face with his hands and resting his elbows on his knees, the stress and worry of your health caused something strange to him.

He felt tears sliding down his wrinkled face.

The thought of you dying was the worst thought. He cannot imagine you leaving him permanently. That was why he took you away in the first place.

"Why are you punishing me, Name?"

[zombieunicorngamerzu]

“Eat”

(Part two - GIP Lottie and her breeding kink, your starving so Lottie has to resort to measures she wish she didn’t for the baby.) [Warnings - forced feeding, cannibalism, I guess abuse? Mean Lottie for a moment]

It has been a few months since your babies conception, both you and Shauna which you and the team found out were pregnant. You were laying in the attic like usual, ever since you started to show just the slightest signs of being pregnant Lottie went WAY too protective, she grew aggressive towards Travis the most. God forbid he went near you, and the other girls, Lottie just doesn’t like others taking care of you when that’s her job.

Your hers. Your her girlfriend and now the mother of her baby, she needs to feel needed and she wants you to be protected. She’s been trying everything lately to make sure you’ve been eating enough, but there’s nothing. Nat and Travis haven’t been able to find food and the constant stress isn’t good for your baby, not to mention the team is grieving Jackie, you were all sitting inside silently after setting her body outside to cremate.

“Hey.” Lotties soft tone rung out as she came up the ladder with a bowl of broth your assuming and a few dried pieces of bear meat, but by the looks of it, Lottie had also given you her share of the bear meat too. Coming over with a timid look as she sat down next to you, Lotties been a little more timid lately due to your hormones and because she just doesn’t wanna upset you.

“I brought you some food for you and little baby, Luna.” She smiled gently, putting her hand on your stomach while she closed her eyes, whispering out a prayer for your baby before kissing your forehead. “You have to eat, okay? To keep your strength up.” You knew that, you just felt guilty taking extra food, even Shauna wasn’t taking extra food for her baby.

Lottie saw your hesitation, a frown setting on her face before she just reached down and grabbed some of the meat and pushed it to your lips, making you look at her in confusion and shock, “Lottie wha-“ you were cut off when Lottie took the chance to push the meat into your mouth, closing your jaw. “Shhh, just eat, please? For me and the baby, chew.” She begged with that stupid puppy dog look she’d give you when she wanted something.

You just sighed and nodded, chewing and swallowing until Lottie was satisfied, only she made sure to stay with you and actually feed you herself this time. “Lottie, I can feed myself.” You huffed out, making Lottie smile a little, looking you in the eyes, “I know, but I want to, I just wanna take care of you.”

After that night, there was no bear meat left, the team had finished off the very little they had left and then, there was the incident with Jackie’s body. How it had practically cooked itself outside. What you didn’t know was that Lottie, Shauna, and Misty had the idea not to waste Jackie’s body, but to eat it. When Lottie came up to hesitantly introduce the idea to you, you were appalled, disgusted, horrified, how could she think of something like that?

“Please, love, I know it sounds-“ She tried to beg before you cut her off, pacing in your spot. “NO! I am not- eating Jackie, I’m not feeding our baby human flesh! I’m not that starving, I-I can survive off that bear meat from last night until I’m starving again for like- three days at least, that’s enough time to-“

You were then cut off by Lottie, stepping forward to grab your arms and stop you from pacing, she looked so stern now, with her expression and tone, “Y/N, you are pregnant, pregnant with my baby, you are my girlfriend and this is our daughter,” she spoke with such passion over this, placing her hand on your stomach, “You’ve lost too much weight already, your pale, you have bags under your eyes, your not eating enough, it’s stressful for the baby, and I’m going to make sure this baby survives along with you, so you have to eat!”

You were surprised at how Lottie raised her tone at you. Lottie was never like this, she was always more quiet, sweet, timid, but never this. Never aggressive and so stern, her eyes were- something. You’ve never seen this look of pure unbridled-unhinged just pleading for you to… commit cannibalism. You were starving, you were, but this? The thought itself makes you wanna vomit. Pulling away from Lottie as you shook your head, “No, Lottie, I’m not doing this- I will not do this.”

To your surprise, Lotties face just dropped, she looked so hurt, her arms dropping at her sides with a shaky sigh and a defeated look, nodding silently, “You have to eat something.” She whimpered with worry, looking over at you with tears in her eyes, “Baby, please…” You just shook your head with a appalled look that she was considering this, that she already was accepting to eat Jackie. “Lottie, this-this isn’t right and I won’t do it, so you go downstairs and you do whatever you want to do, but I won’t be apart of it.”

At your words Lottie just stood there for a few silent moments before just hesitating turning around and heading back down stairs, leaving you completely appalled and heartbroken that your girlfriend was drifting away from you due to just hunger and the wilderness. It felt like the longer you were out here, the more you lost of yourself. Rubbing your stomach as you looked down at the small bump, you just smiled, whispering out softly to your baby girl, “It’s okay, Luna, I’m gonna protect you… and when you come out- hopefully we’ll be saved by that time and you’ll get to see the world and I’ll take such good care of you.”

You went to sleep after that, you were exhausted from the long day and the fight with Lottie, you were still in disbelief that your girlfriend was now outside… eating a dead body, Jackie’s dead body, but you still loved Lottie, just- you were getting really scared out here and not having your girlfriend be on your side, it was lonely and isolating, falling asleep on your blankets with your thoughts until late in the night.

You were jolted awake with fear at feeling someone’s hand on your mouth, but before you started to flail you saw it was just Lottie holding you down, “Shh, shh, it’s okay baby, it’s me, it’s me, chew, chew it.” You we’re confused at first before you tasted meat in your mouth, chewing it before swallowing, making Lottie smile and sit back, taking her hand off your mouth as you spoke, “What was that, did you find a rabbit or something?” You spoke hopefully.

Lotties expression faltered for a few moments before she nodded with a quick smile, “Y-Yeah, Nat caught it outside, it just kinda hopped out from the bushes, see? The wilderness is providing for us, so eat” Lottie spoke as she pressed another piece of meat to your lips, which you ate just to make Lottie happy, seeing the focused- stern look on her face, finishing the bowl before laying back down. For the first time in a long time you were full, you hoped your Luna was happy too and growing, Lottie laying down with you to wrap her arms around your waist from behind as she pressed closer, kissing your cheek,

“Hey, I love you…” she whispered out softly, making you smile slightly with your eyes closed, “I love you too Lottie.” You whispered back quietly, starting to fall asleep in your girlfriends arms with a full stomach, but what you didn’t know was that Lottie was behind you with tears in her eyes from the guilt of having lied about the rabbit meat, tucking her face into your back, she’d fed you Jackie’s thigh, which Misty said has the most calories, but still she felt guilty even though she knew it was for you and the baby, she still lied. Hugging you tighter against her.

But she’d continue lying her whole life if it meant keeping you and your guys baby alive, she loved you way too much to loose you.

[semisolidmind]

what made bad end wukong fall in love with the reader?

she wasn't scared of him.

at least, not at first.

so i imagine that reader (who gets isekaid to ancient china with no memory of her past life) meets the monkeys back when they're still just funny lil troublemakers, fighting the celestial realm and causing mischief. perhaps one day, wukong is bored and decides to disguise himself as a normal monkey to mess with some village folk. knowing they'd all just run in fear from the monkey king, being a normal monkey gives him some leeway to get into more mischief with fewer consequences. macaque, ever his loyal shadow, goes along with him.

oddly enough, macaque meets her first.

perhaps he got more than he bargained for while stealing and got attacked by a dog whilst in normal monkey form. he (literally) runs into reader, who's returning from foraging in the forest. she saves him, much to his chagrin, picking him up and shooing away the dog. not wanting to ruin his cover, macaque keeps up his disguise. she'll just...bandage him up and let him go, and that'll be the end of it, right?

she takes him back to the house of the moderately wealthy family she's staying with (she's sorta a maid servant to pay for her lodging), setting him down gently on the small table in her quarters while she goes to get her medical supplies. he helps himself to some of the fruit from her basket while he waits. she comes back with strips of cloth and a bowl of water, along with some medicinal salves.

she speaks to him in gentle tones to coax him into coming closer, and macaque, who even in this form heals quickly, uses magic to slow his healing process. he's curious about what she'll do. whenever he flinches or spooks (playing the part of a scared monkey), she waits for him to come back to her, gently encouraging him and never raising her voice (which he appreciates immensely).

macaque, touch-starved nerd that he is, doesn't push her away. he realizes how easily he could just...turn back into his true form and scare her, ending this whole charade, but...he doesn't really want to. she's being very gentle with him, and he's enjoying it (not that he'll ever say it).

reader, once she's finished, scratches him softly, praising him for being a good patient. after that, she allows him to take more fruit, opens the door that leads out into the forest, and waves him goodbye as he goes. when macaque gets back to wukong, he...leaves some parts of his little sidetrack out. no need to bring trouble to her door when all she did was help him.

he continues to visit her in his normal monkey form, showing up when the family is away and hanging around reader while she does her chores. she talks to him, lets him climb on her shoulders, and feeds him whenever he visits. macaque is enjoying the attention, and soaks in the calm atmosphere that's often lacking on flower fruit mountain. he begins seriously considering revealing himself as a demon, if only to stop having to disguise himself.

macaque's dissapearances are interesting enough to get wukong's attention. where is his second-in-command going? what could be so interesting that he'd forgo pillaging and troublemaking?

wukong transforms into a fly to follow macaque. he's a bit confused when he arrives at the house, but quickly catches on when he sees a monkey that can only be macaque sitting with a young woman as she repairs a basket. oho, so his second has a crush, does he? that's hilarious! wukong takes a guess at what happened that day at the market during the time he and macaque split up. he wouldn't normally care if macaque wanted to hang around with a human, but this one seems interesting (if only because she seems so...average).

soooo, why not play this game too?

"Oh, hello there," reader says. "Are you this one's friend? Heard about the free food, I bet."

wukong shifts into the form of a normal monkey, playing the part and approaching cautiously, curiously. he sees macaque freeze at the sight of him, and he smirks. he isn't sure why mac wanted to keep this girl a secret, but he's gonna find out.

so, he jumps up on the porch beside reader. she greets him kindly.

"Yeah," wukong and macaque think simultaneously. "Something like that."

the evening goes fairly well considering. though macaque attempts to put himself between reader and wukong every chance he gets, the king makes an effort to get in his way whenever he can. he pretends at being another adorable, playful monkey; hanging off her shoulder, weaving in between her feet as she walks, stealing food...

yet she never gets angry at him, and that catches his attention. wukong's being annoying and terrible, and reader is taking everything in stride. she's more patient than he expected.

"Hah! I think I'm starting to get it." he laughs to himself.

meanwhile, macaque hasn't stopped glaring daggers at him the entire evening.

the monkeys leave later that night, sent off with a wave by reader. the monkey king confronts his general as they travel through the forest.

"So. When were you planning on telling me about her?" his tone seems casual, but there's a sinister undertone that immediately puts macaque on edge.

"Didn't think you'd care, to be honest," he attempts to keep his tone cool, but it's too late. wukong has already seen right through him.

macaque doesn't immediately share his friend's laughter. if he shows his true self to reader, he wants it to be on his terms, in a way that won't terrify her. he doesn't want to give up her company just because wukong wants a laugh.

"Y'know, I'm starting to like her," wukong muses.

"Maybe next time we can transform back and scare her." he cackles. "That'll be funny, won't it? See how she feels about having the Monkey King and his right hand man over for dinner!"

"Sure," macaque chuckles, attempting to hide his nervousness. he starts to plan on how he'll reveal himself, and how to do so without wukong's interference.

—

the next time he visits reader, she's sitting at her table having dinner. macaque watches from the treeline, wreathed in shadows. he left while wukong was having a meeting with some of the other generals, hoping that it'd buy him enough time to explain the situation to reader before wukong could notice him missing.

he isn't sure what the best way of approaching her would be. if he goes up to her now, as a demon, she might be scared and try to run. if he goes as a monkey and then turns into a demon before her eyes, the same. she's only ever known him as her little companion though, he reasons, so he may have to lead with that and hope she understands.

macaque prays that this isn't the end of their companionship.

he transforms into the monkey that reader recognizes, jumping out onto the porch and in through the open doorway. when he goes up to her, reader greets him kindly, as she always does.

"Hello there," she says. "I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been? Not getting into too much trouble, I hope?"

'You have no idea.' macaque thinks. he allows her to gently scratch him under his ears, leaning into it. he'd like to stay like this, but...he has to let her know.

so he backs away until he has enough space, takes a deep breath, and allows his form to change. he hears reader gasp softly as he grows and shifts, his clothing appearing as well. when he's finished, he raises his gaze to reader.

she's taken aback, pressed against the wall and staring at him with wide eyes. her breaths come a little quicker.

but she hasn't screamed. hasn't thrown her dishes at him or called for help. no, she just seems a bit stunned. perhaps she thinks he'll attack her if she moves.

he supposes he should introduce himself.

"My name is Macaque. The Six-Eared Macaque, to be precise." he sighs. he hangs his head slightly, closing his eyes.

"I apologize for tricking you, but after you helped me that day at the market I simply wanted to know more about you. I've come to value your company and hope that my true nature does not change your opinion of me." he finishes, raising his eyes and letting out a breath. he can feel heat in his cheeks, and he hopes his manners will cover how nervous he is.

reader says nothing for a moment. she's having a hard time processing, but she supposes she shouldn't be too surprised. demons disguise themselves in order to get close to humans all the time. she can only hope her little friend doesn't have a gruesome fate planned for her.

"I–" she stutters. "I suppose I should fix another plate, huh? Or do you prefer fruit in this form as well?"

a tense moment of silence passes.

and macaque can't help the laugh that bubbles forth.

this woman might be the death of him, he thinks.

"I wouldn't mind a plate, honestly," macaque says fondly through his laughter. "You have questions, I'm sure. I'll...I'll do my best to answer what I can."

the two spend a few hours talking. macaque tells reader about flower fruit mountain, keeping the true nature of his family and fellow soldiers vague. as much as he'd like to tell her everything, it'd only put her in danger. he especially can't tell her the truth about–

"Aw, you told her without me? And you didn't invite me to dinner? I'm hurt, bud."

macaque freezes. he and reader turn to look at the figure emerging from the darkness of the treeline, whose loose posture and languidly sweeping tail can't hide the menacing aura radiating off him. even reader can sense she's in the presence of something powerful, though the approaching demon has forgone his armor in favor of simple clothing. macaque notices that he'd hidden his tell-tale facial markings as well.

"I thought we agreed we'd tell her together?" the new demon muses as he steps into the room. he plops himself down at the end of the table, putting himself between reader and macaque.

"It's really not fair. You didn't even introduce me! Your best friend and brother! And here I thought you knew better," the ginger-haired monkey admonishes, sending a teasing look in macaque's direction. his dark haired companion glares back silently.

the way his king's personality brightens doesn't fool him for a moment.

"Who is–" reader starts.

"My name is Wukong!" he says jovially, taking her hands in his. "It's nice to be able to actually talk to you now! And here I was worried my brother's careless reveal would make you afraid. It's good to see that's not the case!"

reader takes a moment before the realization sets in. she can tell by macaque's tense posture and mannerisms that it'd be best if she treads lightly here.

"Are...Are you the monkey from last time? Would you like some dinner as well?"

Wukong smiles and nods. "Yes, yes I am! I'm glad you remember me. And I'd love to join you for dinner! Has brother told you about our home yet?"

—

macaque spends the rest of the evening walking on eggshells, waiting for the moment he'll have to jump in to save reader. but that moment never comes. wukong is acting like the perfect guest. he's being even more polite than when his fellow demon sovereigns visit, and they actually have power.

that's saying nothing of how utterly charming the monkey king is being, macaque thinks bitterly. he's been cracking jokes and flirting with reader, and it's working on getting her guard down. macaque is kicking himself for not mentioning how two-faced his "brother" can be earlier.

however...wukong hasn't shown any signs of annoyance or impatience. aside from a smug look whenever he gets reader to laugh, he hasn't given macaque any signal to drop the good guy act.

is he...is the monkey king not planning on hurting or scaring her? but...no. no, he must have some angle he's playing at. he's gotta be waiting for something, but what? for reader to say the wrong thing? for her to show some sign of "disrespect" that he can punish her for? why does wukong keep playing the respectful dinner guest after everything he's hinted at doing?

it's only after macaque really looks over at wukong does he get his answer.

the monkey king is listening intently to a story reader is telling, smiling softly and leaning toward her. his tail curls slowly, contentedly behind him. his eyes are focused entirely on reader, and macaque can see how dilated his pupils are as he watches her speak.

...what?

macaque can't believe it. there's no way.

does...does sun wukong have a crush?

his fear is confirmed when the king makes a comment on reader's story, making her laugh. wukong's smile, still horribly gentle, widens and his fur puffs up a little in happiness.

macaque feels dread pool in his stomach.

his dear mortal friend is in more danger than he thought.

[corroded-hellfire]

I just gotta know in As You Wish, when reader and Eddie are finally together. Are Ryan and Luke were the type of kids that was like "I want a baby brother/sister!" or they didn't want another sibling or they were very neutral about it.

Ooooh boy @munson-blurbs and I had so much fun with this! Yeah, yeah, Eddie and reader are the main focus in AYW, but I think we can all admit that Ryan and Luke are the real stars. I hope you all enjoy this blurb about this little family!

Words: 1.4k

[As You Wish masterlist]

“Boys, dinner!” you call down the hall. Making sure all the burners on the stove are turned off, you wipe your hands on a towel before bringing some of the food to the table.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d attribute the thunderous footsteps to a herd of wildebeests, rather than nine- and seven-year-old boys.

“Jesus, guys,” Eddie says, setting a bowl of green beans down on the table. “The whole apartment complex doesn’t need to hear you running around.”

“Sorry,” Ryan says sheepishly, while Luke just continues to jump up-and-down.

“Okay, okay,” you laugh, “sit down before you get us evicted.”

Luke furrows his tiny eyebrows. “What’s ‘victed?”

“It means we get kicked out,” his older brother explains, lowering his voice to a dramatic whisper. “Live on the street and fend for ourselves, fighting off raccoons for food–”

“Ryan, enough,” Eddie warns, watching fear creep into his younger son’s face. “No one’s getting evicted.” Secretly, he’s warmed inside, knowing that his son has no idea what the word is. That means that he’s never come home to a red-stamped notice on the door, something Eddie was all-too familiar with as a child.

“Come on, you three,” you say, eyeing the Munson men. “Dinner is going to get cold.”

Eddie presses a kiss to the top of your head before he takes his seat next to you. “Looks good, baby.”

“Tastes good,” Luke says through a mouthful of mashed potatoes that he’s already shoved into his mouth. 

Rolling your eyes, you swat him with your napkin before filling your own plate with food. Once everyone’s plates are full and the only sound in the small dining room is the sound of cutlery scraping against the dishes, Luke nudges Ryan underneath the table. Ryan pushes him back, thinking at first that his little brother is just trying to be annoying. But after Luke nudges him harder, Ryan looks at him and deciphers the way the seven-year-old is raising his eyebrows at him.

“Oh,” Ryan says before clearing his throat. Both you and Eddie look up at him as he straightens in his seat. “Luke and I have been talking.”

“That so?” Eddie asks, swallowing his bite of food.

“Yes,” Luke responds before looking to his older brother.

“We have a request,” Ryan says. 

“And what’s that?” you ask. Mischief dances in your eyes as you glance over at your boyfriend, seeing the same curious and amused gleam in his eye. Eddie raises his glass to his lips and takes a sip to try and hide his smile.

“So, when two people love each other—” Ryan starts. Eddie arches an eyebrow, wondering where the hell his son is going with this before Luke cuts to the chase.

“We want a baby brother or sister!”

Eddie chokes on his water and you bite your tongue as you chew on your food. Coughing, Eddie sets his glass down, and you let your knife and fork fall to the table.

“I’m sorry, what?” you ask. 

“We want you and daddy to have a baby together,” Luke repeats, as though there was an actual miscommunication the first time he made his request.

“Yeah, buddy, we got it,” Eddie mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose. He’s trying to process what’s happening while stifling a laugh. “That’s kind of a big ask, you guys. A baby is a huge responsibility.”

Both boys pout, their mouths resembling Eddie’s when he’s disappointed. It’s almost uncanny. “But we can help feed it, and change it, and take it for walks,” Luke whines.

“It’s not a dog,” Ryan chimes in with an exasperated huff, as if to say, do you believe this amateur? “But we will help out a lot. We can be like built-in babysitters.”

“Well,” Eddie manages after a few moments, “she’d be doing all the heavy lifting. Gotta get her seal of approval.” He nods in your direction, a shit-eating grin on his face. It’s quickly wiped away when you glare at him. 

“I’m just waiting for me and your dad to get married,” you shrug, keeping your tone as casual as possible. “Once that happens, then we’ll have a baby.” You watch your boyfriend’s face blanch. Jackpot. 

“Okay, so marry her already!” Luke shouts at his dad, and you can’t help but laugh. 

“Yeah, Eddie,” you tease, “marry me already!” You reach over and squeeze his hand. “Look how sad and lonely my finger is without a ring.”

Eddie runs his free hand through his hair, glancing at the glass of water in front of him. “I need something stronger than this,” he mutters, just loud enough for you to hear him. He takes a large gulp of the water anyway before setting the glass down and turning suspicious eyes on his eldest son. “Before, what were you going to say? ‘When two people love each other’…they what?”

“They make a baby,” Ryan says simply. Eddie’s glad his hand is no longer around the glass, or it may have shattered in his grip. His large brown eyes become even bigger as he stares at the nine-year-old. You’re doing your best not to laugh at your boyfriend’s bewildered expression. 

“Where the hell did you learn that?” Eddie asks.

“School,” Ryan admits with a shrug. 

“Babies have to be made?” Luke asks, eyes bugging out of his head. Eddie looks like he’s about to have an embolism as he runs his hands over his face. God, his father hopes that all Luke’s imagining is babies being made in a factory somewhere that also makes Hot Wheels and his favorite breakfast cereal.

“Yeah. So, what happens is when the man—” Ryan starts. 

“The point is,” Eddie shouts, both drowning out Ryan and drawing their attention back to him. “After we get married, then there can be a baby.”

“If you get married right now, we could get a baby tomorrow,” Luke muses, earning another irritating glance from Ryan. 

“Babies take, like, nine months to grow,” Ryan says. 

“But that’s forever!” Luke groans, resting his head against his chair, sitting back up with a confused look on his face. “Wait, how do you even make a baby?”

“Okay, that’s enough, thank you!” Eddie interrupts, face beet-red at the mention of baby-making. “Can you two please go play or do homework or frolic in a meadow? I don’t know, just get outta here.” He ruffles their hair lovingly as they race off to Ryan’s bedroom, already arguing over what Lego set to build. 

“So,” you whisper, snaking your arms around his waist, “you need a drink to talk about marrying me?” You press a kiss to his lips and smile. 

Eddie holds your chin with his thumb and forefinger. “Nah,” he laughs. “I’d just like to ask without the kids badgering me. Not the romantic proposal I had in mind.”

Your eyebrows fly up in surprise. “You have a romantic proposal in mind?”

“What’s that, Luke?” Eddie calls out, trying to maneuver his way out of spoiling anything. “You need my help?”

“We didn’t say anything, Dad!” Ryan yells back. 

Closing his eyes and taking a calming breath, Eddie hears you giggle at Ryan’s damning reply. “Wasn’t talking to you, Ryan. I definitely heard Luke calling me.”

Now, it's Luke who chimes up. “Daddy, I—”

“Need me, yes I know!” Eddie calls, making his voice louder than normal to drown out any protests the boys might make. He presses a kiss to your lips. “Gotta see what the knuckleheads need.”

“How do the three of you always manage to get out of clearing the table?” you murmur to yourself as you begin picking up finished plates. 

Eddie heads down the hallway, but before he can get to the boys’ rooms, he turns into your shared bedroom and closes the door behind him. Locking it for extra precaution, he opens the closet and rummages around in the pockets of an old pair of jeans hanging in the back. His fingers land on the velvet box and he pulls it out. Stepping away from the closet and turning to face the light, he pops open the lid of the black velvet jewelry box. The shining silver engagement ring sits nestled in its pretty little pillow, the diamond catching the light coming in through the window and glinting around the room. 

“Hmm, now that they’re on to me, maybe I need to find a better hiding spot.” 

[stemmmm]

Stem's Thoughts on Harvest Moon 64

(that other title's too long so i'm cutting it down now)

Harvest Moon 64 opens on a scene of your character walking around the street, speaking to everyone in the village who’s come to the event. You quickly piece together that this event in question is actually your grandfather’s funeral, the same grandfather who’s farm you’re about to take over. This little scene beautifully sets up both the tone of the game, and immediately shows the player that this iteration is far more focused on the story and characters. HM64 tells a story about the lives of many people in a small, dying town. It is a story about life, and it is a story about death.

A short disclaimer before we dig in: I played this game before the idea to write these essays cropped up, and have not replayed it since then, so this will be mostly vibes. I will try to do my research to make sure I’m not straight up lying though. (Also all of the images in this one are from google because I don't have a means of getting images from my N64 other than photographing the tv screen and I'm not doing that.)

What’s new!

HM64, also called Harvest Moon 2 by HMGB2 and nothing else I’ve ever seen, is the direct sequel to HM SNES. It’s not a sequel in the usual way sequels are, where you’re continuing where you left off with the same character, but in that every main character is the descendant of their equivalent in the previous game. It’s not important to the story, in fact if you don’t already know this, you probably wouldn’t notice anything past some similarities. I played this game before I tried out SNES and it still took me a minute, plus having it directly pointed out to me to get it. Maybe I’m oblivious, who knows. 

Gameplay-wise, this iteration is home of a few series firsts: For one, your house can be upgraded to have a kitchen! You can't cook though, only collect recipes. You can also get a greenhouse where you can grow crops year-round. Sheep are introduced as barn animals that produce wool. You receive a fishing rod you can use whenever you want, but as far as I understand, the timing is nigh impossible unless you’re playing on a CRT (I am not, and never managed to catch a single fish). There’s a mine you can access in winter for something to do while you can’t grow crops (there are fall crops, but not winter) where you can find about two key items and garbage otherwise. Tool upgrades are no longer done by magic, but by leveling them up through use! Which I think is very neat and feels very natural, like you’ve just become more proficient with them as a farmer through practice. Characters can now come to visit you on the farm at random times, for either special story events or just to say hi! Your farmer can get sick from working too hard in bad weather, just like your animals, and there’s now medicine for that, just like your animals. And there’s inventory menus that I'll discuss at better length later.

What’s the same is… Most things in a basic sense. You’re on a farm with a dog, planting crops, raising livestock. You can make friends with folks in town by talking to them and giving them gifts. The livestock mechanics, as far as I could see and as far as I’ve been able to understand from online forums, are exactly the same as they were in SNES, the exception being there’s no wild beasts that can kill your animals but they’ll still get sick if they aren’t fenced overnight– and they’re not going to eat any grass unless they’re out overnight anyways.

As for your farm, you’re set up with the usual: a small house, a barn, coop, and fodder silo, a wood bin to store debris cleared off your farm, and a big messy field that you have to clean up before you can properly use it. It starts with three new additions though; a doghouse, a bowl that you can feed your dog with by putting edible items in there, and a mailbox that you’ll occasionally receive letters and notices in! They’re small additions, but very, very charming. The one thing that’s been removed is the toolshed, now replaced by a tiny toolbox by your house.

The world outside your farm is like an enhanced version of the SNES map. Imagine the town and forest now have one or two extra sections tacked onto them, one in the town for some extra housing, and a couple in the forest to let you explore the mountain more and get you deeper into the woods. The mountain still has a cave in it (this time with Harvest Sprites, who have been removed from your farm) and a summit you can climb to for certain events, but it has been upgraded with little wild animals that wander around and can be picked up and shown to people for a few friendship points, if they like the animal. (This applies to your dog too, there’s a well known exploit to max out Karen’s friendship in one day by repeatedly showing it to her in the bar where time is stopped.) The crossroads zone is also expanded by having three new areas you can travel to– the ranch that you buy animals at, a vineyard that’s more of a story-area, and a beach that mostly comes into play for a couple of summer festivals! 

On the visual side, this game is the series’ first venture into the new frontier of 3d graphics… kind of. The artstyle is made of isometric 3D models that are rendered into flat sprites and then projected onto the TV as if that’s not what’s happening. The game even lets you turn your farm around in 3D to face different directions, but it’s locked to only let you play in specific angles. Changing the direction made me forget where everything was and get lost on my own tiny farm, so I never touched that mechanic.

Due to the dramatic artstyle shift– not only being in 3D but also presented at a 45 degree angle, the game becomes a fair bit harder to play than either of its 2D predecessors. The controls are just a little clunky, and the bizarre shape of the N64 controller really doesn’t help. This makes the tedium of farming a little irritating to do, since it requires pretty precise inputs done over and over for every extra thing you’re trying to grow. Fortunately, you're not on the hook to ship everything before 5PM comes around like in SNES, so you get to move a little bit slower. The fickle farming experience also gets a little help from the new inventory menu that can be accessed anywhere and any time. It has multiple inventory slots for both tools and items, each type having a dedicated section so there’s no need to prioritize carrying tools versus turnips. Unfortunately, this actually ends up being a little more cumbersome than useful, as the menu takes a little longer than is comfortable to open and is pretty clunky to use. I mostly avoided it unless I was bringing gifts to people. But the addition of an inventory opens up the opportunity for something else which defines this entire game...

Key items– a set of unique, unsellable items –are most frequently found in random, secret places around the farm and town, and they give you a reason to scour every inch of the place. They can also be given to you by NPCs when you gain relationships with them, which is convenient because their entire purpose is to help you get even better relationships with each of them, and maybe even unlock little stories with characters. For example, there’s a music box you can dig up in your field that can be given to any of the girls for a decently sized relationship bump. There’s also an old weathervane in the shape of a chicken that you can find in the little mine. If you give it to Rick, he’ll tell you that it was a precious thing that belonged to his grandmother as a cute scene to deepen the town’s lore and connect it to the first game. Key items quickly become the most important and sought after things in the game because they act as a vessel to deliver that which the game is all about: stories.

Lots of people in a little town

The narrative premise is exceedingly simple: you need to fix up your grandfather’s ruined farm and make a new life for yourself in this town within a certain amount of time, just like its predecessors. Except, this game is a lot bigger than either of them, and it didn’t fill all the extra space with new things to grow on your farm. In my entry on the SNES game, I mentioned that the introspective style of writing turned the repetitive farming gameplay into something more like meditation on things going on in the town. This game takes that idea and runs with it! The town in this game may only be slightly bigger than it was before, but it has a lot more people in it, and every single one of them has a lot more to say, more to do, more festivals to go to, and more story events to take part in. There's even a new photo album that fills in with images for reaching special events or succeeding at certain festivals! Your given goal may be to successfully revitalize your farm, but that rapidly stops being the reason why you want to play. Farming is only a means to further the narrative of the town.

Story events are no longer a reward for reaching the highest heart level with a girl, but instead something that happens naturally in the world as you make better friends with people, or if you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. The world doesn’t only consist of you living it and things happening to you. Instead, you end up being a fly on the wall to other people’s conversations and life events, and you get to see how those events change the people around you. People will begin to say different things, go different places, live different lives without your input at all– often much better lives, as everyone in the town is pretty deeply troubled, whether they seem like it or not.

There’s an added depth, too. While the characters in this series have always been defined by their conflicts (in the first game, every big cutscene with each girl was exclusively about their major life conflicts), this game takes it further in multiple ways. Characters have conflicts with their families: you as the player have a conflict with your parents who can take you home if you fail to farm well, Lillia and Basil have conflict over their marriage and the fact that Basil leaves for half the year, and Karen’s family situation is…. A lot. Then, there are characters at conflict with things much more nebulous, like the Mayor who tells you that the town is going to die out but he can’t find any way to save it, or like the young boy Kent who wants to be a farmer just like you, but through a series of events is forced to learn that life isn’t so simple, people can’t just do whatever they would like, and it takes very hard work to get to do the things you dream of. And then there are conflicts that aren’t even necessarily conflicts unless they run into your long-term plans.

Instead of only having a bunch of girls in town who exist only as your prospective marriage candidates, there are also five boys in the town who will marry those girls instead of you, if given the chance. Like in SNES, there are 5 levels of hearts that the girls can have for you. Unlike SNES, each one of these hearts has a corresponding event you can have with the girl where there’s a chance of her liking you more afterwards, if you say the right things. In addition to that though, there are just as many events coming from the other side of the story, rival events that trigger if you happen to be good friends with the boys.

My favorite story by far is that of Harris the mailman who falls in love with the librarian, Maria, from just seeing her handwriting on the outside of all the letters that she would write. I frequently saw him in the bar at the end of the day and he would tell me the woes of his love, saying that he just needed to work up the courage to finally speak to her. Then one day, I happened to be outside of the library when he and Maria met face to face and she handed over a letter addressed to him. No longer did he sit in the bar forlorn every night, instead all he would do was excitedly tell me about Maria, and then when I visited the library, Maria would tell me about Harris!

While I’m on the subject of these characters, I think it’s worth going in a little more depth on who these people are past the grandchildren of the characters from the last game. See, you may be familiar with names like Karen and Kai and Gray, etc., etc. from a little recently remade game called Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, which is a modern version of Friends of Mineral Town on the GameBoy Advance, which is a port of Back to Nature on the PlayStation. These are not those characters. At all. While the basic elements of these characters are intact– Popuri is cute and childish, Ann is a workaholic, Maria is shy and a little oblivious –nothing else is the same. They all work different jobs and marry different people than they are paired with in later entries, and in my humble opinion, it all works WAY better in this game, probably because of the fact that these characters were designed for this specific context!

As an example, Popuri’s exasperated mother, Lillia, runs the flower shop and Popuri was named by her father, Basil, who loves plants. She’s childish and sweet and loves flowers, but can also be a complete brat. She eventually marries Gray, Ann’s brother, who lives on the ranch run by his father, Doug, who struggles to understand his children. Gray is an angry young man who seems to have a particular dislike for you, but you don’t learn why until you discover he was a promising young jockey until he got a bad injury and had to give up the sport.

Am I gushing a bit and letting the game design part fall to the wayside? Sure probably, but I can only gush because the game does a brilliant job of making a cast of characters who, while simple on their own, have interconnected lives that come together to give every one of them so much more depth than they would have otherwise. It all builds a narrative, and while narrative design is definitely something different than game design on its own, this game is far more about the narrative so it’s impossible to not focus on.

The problems

The trouble with these events is that I nearly missed the chance to see that letter be exchanged. You have some control over the progression of the events, because you have to be decent friends with the boys in order for them to trigger at all, but unlike the girls who have a handy visual signal of how much they like you, the boys have no such thing, so you can’t really know if a new event is ready to fire off. There’s no way of knowing where or when they’ll happen either unless you look it up, and even then you have to get lucky because sometimes they just don’t trigger when you want them to. I had a lovely moment in my game where I managed to accidentally catch a cold from working too hard in the snow and lost a day to being bedridden, followed by the New Years celebration which takes a day away from you, then followed by Kai and Karen’s wedding– something that I had missed multiple events for and therefore had no idea was coming, which also took a day from me. After that three day chain of no work, I think I was extremely lucky my animals didn’t get sick and die. 

This chain of events led directly to me never speaking to Gray again, even though he was the boy I was most interested in, because I wanted to marry Popuri and there was too much risk of him getting to her before I could. The reason why I didn’t go into more detail about the relationship between those two when I was talking about them earlier is because I straight up don’t know it, I couldn’t risk giving them a chance to get together.

The thing is, even if I hadn’t forced Gray and Popuri’s cutscenes to stop, I still wouldn’t actually know what their relationship is like, because I have not beaten this game. I know what the ending entails and I can reasonably expect I probably would not have gotten an excellent one, but I’m sure it still would have been fine. I stopped playing the game entirely before I even managed to get married. Why? Because I couldn’t get any of Popuri’s heart events to trigger. I had her hearts maxed out and had a blue feather ready to go in my pocket, so I could turn on the game and marry her right away anytime I wanted to. But I wanted to trigger the little events, even if they’re just a couple seconds of some pixels talking to me on a screen. They’re cute. And it made me sad that I couldn’t see them for some imperceptible reason. So I stopped playing and didn’t pick the game back up.

I don’t remember how close I was to the end of the game, I know I was at least in year 2, but I don’t even remember how much longer the game is after that. Probably a good amount. I had definitely gotten most of the events you could get at this point, since multiple other characters had gotten married, and the farming wasn’t something I really enjoyed so I can’t say I wasn’t at least a little bored by this point, but I wasn’t frustrated with the general mechanics of the game. The days were long enough, but not too long, that I had just enough time to go anywhere I wanted and do what I needed before night came. I could still talk to characters and go to festivals and play minigames. But I didn’t want to, because the game wasn’t doing what it seemed like it was supposed to for some arbitrary reason and that frustrated me enough to make me stop. When the fun of a game is found more in experiencing special events rather than anything else, the player feels cheated out of their good time when those events are too hard to find or can be missed outright, and that’s exactly what I experienced.

Parting Thoughts

The ending, according to what I've read, is very similar to the SNES endings, in that you’ll get different results based on all of the different things you’ve done. Whether you’re married, how many crops you shipped, how many animals you have, how well liked you are by the town… I imagine it’s not quite the victory lap that SNES’s ending was with its little cutscenes, since apparently all you get are comments on how well you performed by various people in the town, but it still seems nice and rewarding! At least like more of a reward than whatever the hell GB1 was trying to do. It seems like a perfectly good ending that it would be nice to see myself someday.

Despite all my troubles with this game, I believe HM64 is still the best one out there– at least that I’ve played yet. The events are plentiful and the content is meaty. The repetitive day to day dialogue still has the simple breath of life that SNES did, that manages to make the most out of a small amount. Don’t get me wrong, this game came out in 1999, I’m giving it a lot of praise but the characters still repeat the same line to you every day, and they still freeze in place until you leave the room. It’s revolutionary, but this is comparing it to a game on the literal Super Nintendo. Absolutely pick up this game to try it out, but keep those expectations tempered. That said, I never picked up this game nor knew a thing about it until I was well into my 20’s, but the moment I started playing, it hit me with a wave of nostalgia as if I’d known this game my whole life. At least to me, the look and feel of the game were like coming home to a childhood I never had.

 Will I pick up this game again with the intent to beat it? Maybe! Hard to say for sure when I’m trying to play decades worth of games and write about them at a comprehensive level. What I do know is that this is exactly what I want more farming games to be. It’s a game that has thoughts about life, and about death, both good and bad. And I think this is the perfect context to share those thoughts.

[easyeat]

For the general health of our pets, a proper diet and sound digestion are essential. By utilizing an elevated dog feeder, you may help your dog's digestive system in an efficient way. We'll talk about the advantages of raised dog feeders and how they may help your dog's health in this post. A raised dog feeder has several benefits, including better posture and a lower chance of stomach problems. Let's explore the subject and learn why buying an elevated dog feeder may significantly improve the digestive health of your pet.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Apollo's Care

Author's note: This is the next part of the Raised on Terra AU! The masterlist for the series is here. A big thank you to @kit-williams for allowing me to borrow her oc, Apollo!

Tagged: @egrets-not-regrets @the-pure-angel @sharenadraculea @i-am-a-dragon34 @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan

Tagged; @undeaddream @bleedingichorhearts

Warnings: None? Please ask me to tag something if I've missed it/something bothers you

Summary: three moments where Apollo cares for his charges.

“... Oh no. Wherever has Eight gone? I cannot see him. Oh well, I was going to feed him, but if he isn’t here, I might as well feed Six instead.” Apollo called out, suppressing the smirk that threatened to appear on his face as he continued to look for the tiny Primarch. The little general had hidden himself in the darkest corner of the Primarchs’ creche room, and had put a blanket over his body, in an attempt to hide.

Given that Eight was supposed to have foresight and be in charge of the ambush strike force legion, encouraging him when he was indulging in those kinds of behaviors was not just permitted, but encouraged. 

Eight giggled and wiggled a little in his blanket hide-out. “Hehehehehe!”

Apollo suppressed the grin threatening to break across his face as he set down a small bowl filled with Eight’s favorite kind of blended up food mixed with the nutrients he needed to grow properly; blended up ripe fruits mixed with cooked meat-paste that was lightly salted. He then looked away, pretending to be distracted by Six, who was crawling towards Fifteen, fixated on the other primarch’s bushy red hair. “Hmm… Is Eight over here?” He took a couple of steps away, his other senses honed on the hiding infant Primarch.

More little giggles escaped Eight “Hehehehehe!”

Apollo could hear movement in the corner where Eight was hiding, and peeked over one of his shoulders. 

One tiny, pale and slightly clawed hand reached out towards the bowl. Tiny fingers curled around the edge of the bowl and began dragging it back towards the blanket lump.

Apollo casually turned back and murmured “Oh? Eight’s food bowl has moved. I should move it back.”

“Ah!” Eight cried out, lunging out of the shadows and flopping chest-first onto the bowl, pouting up at him “Bah!”

“Oh! There you are, Eight! I was wondering where you went.” Apollo rumbled, unable to suppress the amused grin on his face as he knelt down and picked up baby, blanket and bowl of food “To a high chair with you, little one.”

“Mmmmrrr!” Eight responded before trying to bite at Apollo’s hands. He had grown in three teeth, and was determined to use them on everything he came across; toys, his brothers, caregivers, his brothers, blankets, the sides of his bassinet, and his brothers. 

Not that his baby teeth would be able to break Apollo’s enhanced skin. “Uh huh. I’m not food, little one. Biting is rude.” 

“Mrrrrrr!” Eight protested, still trying to bite his way through Apollo’s enhanced skin. 

~

Six was the most active of Apollo’s three charges. He also enjoyed playing with his brothers quite a bit as well. Whether or not they wanted to play with him, the attention they gave him made him happy. Unlike Sixteen, who would wait a little before pestering a brother who Did Not Want to play with him, Six would keep poking the brother he had decided he wanted to play with until they eventually gave in.

Given that Six was to be His Executioner, and lead forces meant to enforce the Emperor’s will internally, alongside conquering the galaxy alongside the rest of the Primarchs, that dogged kind of determination was something that Apollo was cheerfully encouraging. Even if his behaviors frustrated his brothers and the other caretakers at times.

But, there were times that Apollo was also vexed by Six’s stubbornness. Like now. Six had wrapped himself around one of the legs of one of the chairs meant for the caretakers use. “Six, let go of the chair leg.”

“AH!” Six yelled at the top of all three of his lungs. 

The force of his shout caused Apollo to take a half-step back, his enhanced hearing ringing with the force of the sound. He shook his head a little, kneeling down and reaching out to the tiny blond Primarch “Six, let go, Right now.”

“Mah!” Six yelled loudly again, wrapping himself more tightly around the chair leg. 

“I know you don’t like bath time, but it’s important to keep clean. And you love playing with the bobbles and the toys, even if you don’t enjoy the water. Let go.” Apollo instructed his charge, a frustrated huff leaving the Dread Spear as he reached out to carefully pull the tiny Primarch off of the piece of furniture he was clinging to. “I still don’t know how you can tell it’s bath time. Maybe you can smell the scent of the soap?”

Six continued to cling to the chair leg, utilizing a surprising amount of the strength in his tiny, transhuman body to stay put. “Nnnn! Oooo!”

Apollo blinked in shock, momentarily distracted from his task. “Did… Did you just speak your first word? Even as a Primarch, none of you were supposed to be speaking actual words for another four to eight months from now… Come on now, little general. It’s time for your bath.”

“Nnn!” Six fussed, clinging more to the chair leg, before he started to growl again, bearing his two front teeth and snapping at his fingers.

Apollo was entirely undeterred from the little threat display. “Eight has sharper teeth than you do. He also has more of them. If I wasn’t worried about his bites, why do you think yours would deter me six, hmm?” Still, he was pleased by the show of stubbornness, even if it was vexing. That kind of determination would serve the Emperor well, when properly directed as Six got older. 

~

One had just finished his meal, and had snuggled into Apollo’s arms the moment he picked up the infant Primarch out of his high chair. Unlike Eight and Six, One was a neat eater, and only needed his face and hands gently wiped clean after eating, rather than needing a bath.

Six and Eight enjoyed making their mealtimes a full-body sensory experience. One would eat the spoons that Apollo fed him with, if he was allowed to do so, and while the Dread Spear was pretty sure that a Primarch would be able to eat pretty much anything as an adult and be fine, he wasn’t about to let any of them eat the metal spoons they were being fed with now, as it was a potential choking hazard.

A certain nosy Blank already disliked him enough as it was, and while Apollo couldn’t care less about what Almach thought of him, the other’s interference in his caretaking duties was frustrating when he interfered. Currently the Blank was tending to his own charges as he should be, so Apollo paid him no mind as he hummed softly to One as the little Primarch yawned and snuggled deeper into his careful hold. 

“That’s right, little one. Off to sleep, so that you may grow and get strong, for the Emperor, for mankind.” Apollo murmured, a small smile appearing on his face as he gently rocked one back and forth, a content expression on his face. 

One yawned again, a tiny hand reaching up and gently grabbing onto the fabric of the shirt that Adonis was wearing, “Prrrrr….” 

Apollo’s eyes were gentle and warm as he walked over to One’s bassinet, still softly humming the lullaby that he barely remembered, and was unsure where or when he had learned it, waiting for One to fall asleep, before gently tugging the shirt fabric out of One’s hand and tucking him in. “Sleep well, young one.” 

“Prrr…” One rumbled in his sleep, snuggling into the stuffed toy. It was pleasantly warm to the touch, and similar such toys were available for each of the little Primarchs to use and snuggle against. They slept better with these warm toys - especially if the toys had been handled by their primary caretaker and had a bit of said caretaker’s scent on it.

The Emperor had been initially against the idea of such toys, but after a couple of the Primarchs had finally slept through the night with such a toy at their side, He had relented. The silent war over Naming the Primarchs had yet to be concluded. Apollo was staunchly neutral about when and how the Primarchs would be named. 

[qiutls]

TNGDH 002

Cashew nut.

After transmigrating, my name became cashew nut.

Who the hell thought of this name?

Of all the various words that exist, why was I named cashew nut?

How is this any different from naming humans, kimchi stew, fried rice, omelet, seaweed soup, steak or curry….

…Forget it. Since I became a hamster, forget about my human rights, just give them to the dogs. I lived hard like a cactus in the wasteland, forget about getting money and earning fame from the game I developed, as a hamster I can’t even earn wealth. The feeling of unfairness that I had forgotten suddenly returned. That’s right… There’s a saying, even if you roll in a pile of dog poop, you still win. So let’s say it’s a good thing that I survived and transmigrated. Even if it’s a novel that I read half-asleep and dropped in the middle, it’s fine. The saying means no matter how low life goes, it’s much better to live than to die.

But why?! Of all the characters in the novel! Why did I have to be a hamster! I became a damn hamster!

[ Synchronization is complete! ]

Right. You, system. Speak! Let me hear your explanation on why I became a hamster out of all the characters.

[ That was the only vacancy! ~(˘▾˘~) ]

Are you kidding me?

As I gritted my teeth, Kyle carefully dropped me into the new house.

"Cashew Nut? Why do you have no energy? Do you want to rest?"

Yeah. There's a lot of things to think about now, so please don’t push me to go crazy and let me go.

I kicked Kyle in the palm with my little foot. I need to talk to that damn system, get lost!

He tilted his head and looked at me with a serious look, and put me down carefully in the new house he had prepared in advance.

"Even though it’s a bit lacking, I've made a house for you. Rest here and feel better."

Kyle smiled. It was a smile that felt very affectionate, which did not suit his face which exuded coldness.

W-what's wrong with you? Stop smiling! It doesn't suit you. Let's just live as we look.

I grumbled at him and then started looking around. The hamster house that he said he had prepared for me in advance, just by looking at it..

It's too much… Really too much for a small hamster…

The small house which had three floors was higher than the table.

The frame was made out of firm wood and the top part was arched. The center of the house was even decorated with colorful red jewels.

If you look carefully inside, it’s decorated at every corner, there are cushions that look soft, feed bowls that are shiny enough to be mistaken for ornaments from a distance, some sawdust and all kinds of soft chew toys, slides, and sieve wheels…….

It's luxurious. I've never seen such an elaborate hamster house in my life. In addition, the decorations engraved on each frame were shimmering to the point that it felt burdensome.

Did you engrave gold in the hamster's house as well?

In the past whenever I went home from work, only a narrow studio greeted me as I opened the door. There was only one window in that apartment and now I’m able to live in a house that’s 3 stories tall, by hamster standards, of course.

[ The Grand Duke is the third richest aristocrat in the empire. ]

It seems so. Raising a hamster and building a house like this, he either is rich as hell or crazy about hamsters... I think he’s both rich and crazy as hell.

"In any case, It’s better for you to rest. I will come by tomorrow."

I sighed deeply. I didn't nod or look at him, since a hamster who understands people's words is too suspicious. Killing is a no-go!

In this big house, I snuck to a corner and curled up to sleep. Go, leave! Let me sleep.

"Cashew Nut."

―…….

"Have a good dream."

Good dreams my ass! This situation is a nightmare for me. *

Peace finally came after the damn hamster lover returned to his bedroom.

Now, let's have a serious talk.

Hey, come out.

[ 〣(ºΔº)〣 ]

Right now, am I inside "The Heart of Winter"?

[ Yes, that's right! (*>▽<)ｼ ]

And that's the Duke of Blake, who dies at the middle of the novel.

[ Kyle Jane Minehardt. Approximately one month before the estimated time of death. ]

So I transmigrated… But the heroine....

[ This is Serena. ]

Serena's name and face popped up in the system window. It was a woman with soft brown hair and green eyes. She looked about my age, but her clothes were quite dirty. Come to think of it, Serena in the original story said that after transmigrating, she escaped the slum with her intelligence and life skills.

Come to think of it, Serena didn’t even have a name until she became empress. Serena, it’s a name passed down to every empress from generation to generation. Right now, the heroine is a woman with no name.

Hang on. But I transmigrated as well, right? Can two people transmigrate into the same novel?

[ Serena didn't transmigrate. ]

[ The plot has changed. ]

[ Miracle value 1% ]

I sat on a rocking chair and looked at the system window seriously. I couldn't cross my short legs, so I could only rub my chin with my small hands.

I've been thinking about this for a while, what the hell is "miracle value"?

[ You're destined to die. ]

The sentence popped up on a blue interface. It shone chillingly blue with a sad emoticon, tearing up next to it.

… Destined to die.

It came to my mind. The pale light of the headlight of the car that hit me, the sound of friction made by the wheels scratching the ground, my body floating into the air...….

[ But before you died, I intervened right away! ]

The system spoke, bringing me out of the daze.

[ Your original body is in a coma right now. If you don't earn enough miracle value, you can't avoid the upcoming death. Collect information and find the best data to survive. Once you set a goal, you will be sent a customized quest. ]

So you’re saying…

[ Raise your miracle value and I'll save you from death! ]

You’ll save me? Why? How? Are you a god?

[ Once you collect enough miracle value, it’s can be used to create your own miracle! ]

This system... Looking at it this way. In order to raise the miracle value, I need to create miracles, but I’m just a hamster! With this small body, what tricks am I supposed to do? This damn system! You’re just making me work for you? Do you have any conscience?

[ อิ_อี; ]

After living hard to make money, now I have to live hard to make miracles! Am I Moses? Huh? Do you want me to split the sea for you?

But my settlement money. My bright future. My old life, and my human rights… That’s right I don't want to die of old age as a hamster.

I rolled up my little fist. There was no other option, I’m already living as a hamster, how hard can anything else be.

[ Do you want to set a goal? ]

Miracles and goals.

So, the point of the system was to change the fate of the world in <The Heart of Winter>, gather its power, and change my own fate. Instead of Serena, I was the one who transmigrated to a hamster and the miracle value went up. Wouldn't it rise again if something that should happen in the novel was prevented?

The problem is I only finished half of the novel. As soon as the character who I sympathized with the most died, I dropped it! So, I don't know the end of this story. How can I change the fate when I don’t know who wins and loses in the end.… Hold on.

Kyle! Yeah, Kyle Jane Minehardt. The man is supposed to die in a month. What if we save Kyle? There is no greater miracle than reversing death.

Yeah. Like it or not, anyway Kyle became my master, and I didn't want him to die miserably when I was a reader. The reason why I dropped the novel, a man who was worried about his lover’s safety died at the hands of the woman he loved the most.

Alright, why don't I save Kyle? This should also be considered a miracle.

[ Goal set complete: Save Kyle Jane Minehardt. ]

[ Choosing a quest…….]

I felt strange. If I save him, can I really come back to life? I wanted to ask one more time if this was possible, but it was meaningless I had already become a hamster, what could be more absurd than this. That’s right, even though there’s still a long way to go, let's both survive!

Please give me a quest that fits the current difficulty, Mr. System. I can’t do anything in this body right now except increase the companionship value with the Grand Duke. At best I’m sure I’ll be able to improve his satisfaction levels within 5 years, even though it would cost me my body. He meant because Kyle is obsessed with hamsters, he just has to act cute and be pampered and petted until his body is sore lmao.

After a few minutes of silence, the system held out its first quest.

[ Let's become a humane hamster! (ง˙∇˙)ว ]

As I clicked the quest with my small hand in the air, the following sentences appeared.

[ Let's become a warm pet hamster! ]

[ Reward: Small miracle value, a chance to get back some human characteristics. ]

Why is it a miracle to be a humane hamster? System, was the hamster from the original novel a bad guy?

[ ´•̥︿•̥`)⁾⁾ ]

Are you serious? Ah what a crazy drama.

[ Kyle looked down at a finger that was bleeding. It was still a young demon, but surprisingly it was able to survive the barren north. It was natural that it could not be easily tamed. A faint disappointment came to his cold, firm face. ]

Sentences believed to be the contents of the original work came to mind neatly.

……Was there really such a thing?

More than that, were you originally going to raise a demonic beast? Indeed, the North is barren and you might feel lonely, so you must’ve wanted a companion. Even if the demonic beast goes rampant, Kyle is strong enough to kill it. There was no telling, it could have been a cute human-friendly beast and there would be no harm in raising it. It's not that strange to hope for companionship from a hamster.

[ "Then why didn't you just leave it there?"

Kyle replied to the driver's words.

"Then do you want it to just die as it is?" ]

Kyle was the first one to reach out to me who was going to die…… Yes, well, I'll let you off the hook. We're all trying to make ends meet. As long as you're not holding me upside down, I don't have to bite you either.

Above all, I am a human being, not a hamster. I don't do anything barbaric like biting humans.

[ (ʃƪ˘³˘)(´ε｀ʃƪ) ? ]

No, but I do hope Kyle can refrain from kissing, I thought as I lay down, remembering Kyle’s warm smile earlier. Do you like animals that much? It really doesn’t suit you. novel ⠀✿⠀ next

[lover-222]

Puppy Dog Eyes (TAA)

...

"babe you have to get up to get up, you got training don't you?" y/n said as she turned to face him.

"i don't feel good, i'll just call them and tell them i'm feeling sick i-" he cut himself off and sneezed two times.

trent stayed home from training today, this being due to being sick. the weather wasn't helping, it was gloomy and raining. he had came down with a cold and was not feeling his best.

she nodded and looked at the time it was 9am. y/n got use to waking up early because of trent since he would be up and getting his things ready for practice. he cuddled into her and laid his head on her chest. he was more clingy when he was was sick or feeling under the weather. she didn't mind it at all.

"i'll be back i'll make you some soup and we can cuddle all you want my love" she told him as she caressed his face.

he held on to her tighter and refused to let her go, "noo just a little bit longer please?"

how could she say no to him? she could never say no to trent. she looked at his strong arms that had held hostage, "okay just 5 more minutes" she said.

once the 5 minutes were up she gently unclasped his arms from her, trying her best to not wake him up. she succeeded, y/n went into their kitchen area and started to make him some chicken noodle soup. she cut up some vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and spinach.

she then proceeded to finish off the meal. once the soup was cooking, y/n took advantage and started to clean the kitchen, although that was until she saw trent peeking out in the corner.

"you left me alone, i was cuddling with a pillow" he said sadly.

he was wrapped around in fluffy blanket that he actually gave you for your birthday last year. he actually looked adorable.

"aw i'm so sorry baby, but look i made you food. it's almost ready. if you want you can lay down on the couch and i'll bring it to you when it's ready yeah?" she said as she hugged him.

he just nodded and plopped down on the big couch. he skipped through channels and ended up going on netflix and put on a movie.

y/n placed the food on the small table that was in front of him. she sat down next to him and gave him the bowl.

"cmon it's good for youuu" she told him.

"mmm to-tired- can't hold spoon" trent said.

she playfully rolled her eyes because she knew he could but he wanted to be babied. y/n chuckled and held up the spoon with some of the soup on it and fed him. he was too adorable it was not even funny.

"have i ever told you how cute you are" she expressed while feeding him.

"not enough as you should" he playfully said.

"you have the prettiest eyes, i love them" y/n smiled.

he blushed, "stoppp i'm vulnerable right now my body hurts".

"ooooo did i just make THE trent alexander arnold blush???" y/n said playfully with a shocked expression.

trent took the spoon from her and ate the rest of his food since he wanted her to also eat. the couple finished their food and cuddled up while watching a movie.

"i think my favorite spider-man is andrew garfield" y/n spoke as she drew shapes on his back with her pointer finger.

"what?? nah it's all about toby maguire he's the original spider-man" he said.

"yeah but the second spider-man is a skater and he's really good looking" she chuckled.

trent looked up at her while raising an eyebrow, "liarrrr you know i'm wayyyy better looking" he said confidently.

y/n laughed and made him lay down on her again, "you know you're right just keep watching the movie".

"i'm always right my love i'm always right" he repeated.

funny thing is that he was right, she would never love another man how she loved trent. everything about him was so deeply admired by her. his arms and how they would wrap around her so effortlessly. his soft skin that she would touch all over. most importantly his beautiful brown eyes, that was actually the first thing that captivated her when she met him.

to her that was her weakness, she would melt every time he would look at her. when they first started dating she would blush a lot just by him looking at her and keeping eye contact was a bit difficult. she loved the way they shined and they looked even more beautiful when the sun would beam on his complexion.

she would always tell him how he had puppy dog eyes. ever since she told him that, whenever he wanted something or was trying to convince her he pulled out that trick. he looked at her and made the most adorable puppy dog eyes ever. she couldn't resist.

"stop doing that!!" she sighed then smiled.

"why?? please please please please" trent said then did his puppy dog eyes.

she cupped his face with her soft hands, " you know i can't say no to you when you do that, it's not fair!!"

he laughed and hugged her, "but you love it!!!"

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── a/n: i hope y'all enjoyed this :) d

[nicksbestie]

can you write where you secretly adopt duke for cal’s birthday? please 🥹🫶

Birthday

(okay so for the sake of this fic Covid-19 started in January of 2020 not March)

word count : 1260

warnings : none!

enjoy!

<3

Calum’s birthday was coming up and you desperately wanted to surprise him with something big, but you had to try and figure out what.

He deserved something huge, and while money wasn’t an issue for the two of you, you still had to pick a reasonable thing to get for a gift. It took you a few hours to come up with something, but eventually you picked one. Calum had been desperate for a dog since you two had moved in together, but since he was always running around and on tour, and you had a busy job as well, having a puppy just wasn’t going to work.

The dog wouldn’t get the attention and care it truly needed, despite whether or not you cared for the dog. But now, you were both at home, due to Covid-19, and nobody was really going anywhere. It was a perfect time to get a new animal, and you weren't the only one who thought so. You had seen Calum’s camera roll, and it was filled with dogs and puppies of all breeds. So, you decided, you were going to get him a puppy. 

It wasn’t going to be easy to keep it a secret from him, but you went to an animal shelter the day before his birthday, and spent so much time with all of the dogs. It wasn’t until you got to the very last one that you felt a strong connection to him. He had been there for five months, and his age was estimated to be about one year old. His name tag on his cage read “Duke”, and when you read his estimated age, you were happy to see that he was a younger dog, which was what you were looking for. 

He was black and white, and very fluffy, and you knew Calum would fall in love with him instantly. So, you went up to the desk to start filling out the adoption papers. When you were talking about which dog you wanted, you learnt that he was already house trained, which was a wonderful thing to hear, because as much as you wanted a dog, you were dreading cleaning up poop from around the house until he was trained. You paid his adoption fee, they put a travel leash on him, and now, you and Calum had a dog. But where was he going to go for the night? You smirked, calling up Ashton, knowing he had a soft spot for Calum. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, Ash! Can I ask you a favor? But you have to keep it a secret.” 

You could pretty much hear him raise an eyebrow before he agreed, humming an affirmative. 

“I got Calum a gift, but I need you to keep it at your place overnight because he can’t see it until tomorrow.” 

Ashton sounded a little hesitant, mostly confused. 

“You can’t wrap it?” 

You laughed, trying to cover it with a cough but miserably failing. 

“No, I can’t.” 

Duke chose this moment to see a squirrel on the side of the road, losing his absolute mind barking, and of course, Ashton heard. 

“Did you get him a dog?!”

You smiled, petting Duke on the head and getting him to hop down from the window. 

“I did. So, can you keep him for the night? He’s already house trained.”

Ashton sighed, but you could hear the smile and knew he was relenting. 

“Yes, bring him over.” 

“Okay, thanks! See you soon.” 

Before getting to Ashton’s house, you stopped to get him a water and food bowl, as well as some dog food. The shelter had given you the brand that they used to feed the dogs, so you picked up a bulk bag of that, making sure he had everything he needed. You also got him a bed, a soft fluffy one. Arriving at Ashton’s, you walked up to the door with Duke, and he sat right outside with his tongue hanging lopsided out of his mouth. As Ashton opened the door, you could see the last of his resolve fade away as he immediately crouched down to pet him, picking him up in his arms and cooing at him. 

You unloaded the things, helping Ashton set it up for the one night, and laughing when Ashton just waved you off, promising you he could handle it. After about an hour, you left, feeling that Duke would be safe and loved for the one night before you brought him home the next morning. 

– 

The next morning, you had woken up before Calum, and had gone to pick up Duke. Ashton was quite reluctant to let him go, but you promised he could come over later to celebrate. He was currently outside, and you were setting up Duke’s things in the living room. His bowls were in the kitchen, but his bed was right next to the couch. You went to wake up Calum, smiling as his eyes opened and he sat up, yawning. 

“Happy birthday!!! I hate to wake you, but I need a little bit of help this morning.” 

You didn’t need any help, you just were incapable of keeping the secret any longer. Calum smiled, even wider when you pressed a soft kiss to his lips, laughing when he tried to pull you back into bed with him. 

“Aww, come on. It’s my birthday, you’re not going to cuddle with me?” 

You grinned, pulling yourself free. 

“Trust me, you’d rather get up.” 

This piqued his curiosity, and he got out of bed, sleepily following you to the kitchen. You acted like you had no idea what was about to happen, smiling as he just followed you around like a lost puppy, pun intended. You had a few gifts wrapped on the table, noticing him eyeing them like a small child. You pressed a kiss to his cheek, moving behind him to fill Duke’s water bowl. Calum hadn’t realized it yet.

“Before you open anything, can you let the dog back inside? I forgot to do it before I came and woke you.” 

Calum was used to dog-sitting for his friends, this phrase being not completely unfamiliar to him, and so it took him about thirty seconds to realize what you just said.

“Yeah- wait. What?!” 

You smiled as he basically sprinted to his sliding porch door, his hands clapping over his mouth when Duke sprinted over to the new human being, his new owner. Calum immediately dropped to the ground to pet him, laughing and smiling as Duke licked all over his face, spinning in excited circles as Calum petted him. Calum picked him up and walked back inside, disregarding the open door as he looked at you in shock. 

“You- you got me a dog?! You got us a dog?!” 

You smiled, pulling out your phone and taking a photo as Calum held the dog up to eye level, setting him on his head and posing in the kitchen, smiling like an absolute fool. You picked Duke up off of Cal’s head, holding him for a selfie with the three of you. 

“He’s ours? Like, forever?” 

You nodded, handing him back to Calum as he set him down and watched him spin from excitement.

“What’s his name?” 

“I got him from the shelter, his name is Duke.” 

If Calum smiled any harder, his jaw might’ve broken. 

“I love him. Best birthday ever.” 

Calum spent the next three hours teaching him tricks, and if Duke ate his body weight in treats, all it showed was that he was loved.

[xbadgerbearx]

chapter three: blossom

word count: 2.5k

Redlight: [2] ... [4]

It was three days until the weekend.

Your Romeo really was acting like a Romeo during those three days. There was something new or surprising that he did that made your attraction–your bond–to each other grow.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

On the first day you had caught him feeding that dog again. The kitchen was closing for the night, so after you washed your hands you left out the exit door that led into the alley way. Opening the door only to reveal your Romeo crouching in front of it with that dog scared the shit out of you.

Bobby fell back on his ass as he let out an uncharacteristically high yelp of surprise–it seems like you scared him too. He was in his waiters uniform with his vest and jacket neatly folded out of the way. He did not appreciate you chuckling at his misfortune. 

“What are you doing?” you asked, voice warm and welcoming, but your face was otherwise neutral. He stayed seated on the ground, but his posture relaxed.

“I’m, uh, I’m training her.” The dog was sniffing at the scraps of food hidden in the palm of his fist. You raised a brow, and Bobby scurried to stand on his feet. “No, no! Look,” he tried to convince hastily and held a treat out.

 “Sit.” 

The dog did not listen. He tried again, and again, and…again. He finally focused his attention on you when a small giggle escaped past your lips. 

“She just did it, I swear! Right before you came out here.”

“Of course,” you assured, teasing. “I’m sure she did.” 

He rolled his eyes and tried one more time, but the dog didn’t sit. Sighing, he sat back down on the ground, his elbows resting on his knees. After a moment, you folded your apron that was slung over your arm and joined him on the ground. His face held a look of surprise, but his eyes revealed that he was delighted. 

The two of you spent the next hour teaching the dog to sit, and with great success. When she sat for you the first time after you gave the command, Bobby excitedly hopped up and towards the dog to pet her.

 “Yes, yes! Good girl!” 

When he sat back down, he moved a little closer, with his leg touching yours. Stealing a glance at him, he seemed slightly nervous, but he could not stop smiling. A small smile graced your own lips as you continued to perfect the trick with the dog.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

On the second day, you were both cleaning in the kitchen; Bobby was assigned to be kitchen staff that day. You were already at the sink when Bobby joined you, although his positive mood didn’t seem to leave him from last night. If anything, he was happier. 

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” you asked, slightly suspicious. 

He shrugged with a smile. “I don’t really know.” 

You squinted your eyes, but he just gave a wider smile that reached his eyes in response. It was infectious. Rolling your eyes playfully, you turned your attention back to the sink. Bobby would scrub a dish and pass it to you for rinsing and drying, and it stayed like that for a while. Until– 

Bobby gasped loudly and the bowl he was holding clattered its way into the sink. Snapping your head to him, you couldn’t even try to suppress the laughter that suddenly erupted from you. In front of you was an annoyed Bobby, covered almost head to toe in powdered sugar. 

“How-how did that even happen?” you cried, wiping a tear away. Watching him just stand there was so humorous that you had to cover your mouth in an effort to stop laughing. He somehow got sugar in his hair! He had never heard you laugh this much before, and in an effort to make it funnier, he wore a mock scowl and crossed his arms. 

“Is this funny to you?” he asked, slightly exasperated. 

You shook your head and tried to deny it. “No, no! It’s-it’s not funny,” you huffed out in between giggles. Bobby grinned and took a step closer.

“Ohhh, right. So it wouldn’t be funny if I did this?” 

You tried to scream but he was too quick. He enveloped you into a tight hug, ensuring your demise. 

Gasping, you tried to push him off, but it was too late and he was too strong. He laughed as he held you close, resting his chin on your head, and smeared the powdered sugar all over you as he began to sway. Because you both worked by the sink, the water that dampened your aprons made the sugar turn into a slimy, confectionary mess. 

Letting you go, it was now his turn to laugh at how you looked. There was still way more sugar on him, but he managed to transfer some to you. Now it was your turn to scowl. 

“This isn’t very Romeo of you,” you noted, but his smile grew in size at the name. “You think this is funny?”

“Oh, yeah. Very.” he chuckled.

“I’m glad. I’m glad I could humor you.” 

Bobby took off his apron–which was where the bulk of the mess was–and set it off to the side before offering to take yours. Untying yours, he slipped it off and put it with his. Trying to suppress a giggle, he tried to shake out the sugar in his curls as you carefully washed your hands.

Alphonso would later tease Bobby about this encounter; he was walking over right when Bobby hugged you. He decided to bother you guys at a later time. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

On the third day, Bobby invited you and Alphonso to watch him fight in the ring later that night. You were in your apron sitting on the counter while Alphonso was leaning against it. Bobby was in his waiter's uniform, bow tie untied and hanging loose around his neck. 

“Come on, what do you say?” he asked, eyes bouncing between the two of you. Alphonso whooped and agreed, but you were a little less enthused. 

“Last time I went, you got your shit rocked and your boss harassed me,” you sighed, crossing your arms. 

“...Maybe I’ll win this time?” he said hopefully, voice increasing in pitch. It was an obvious lie and you rolled your eyes.

“You don’t want to watch some guys beat each other up?” Alphonso asked you, grinning.

“No! Why would anyone?” 

Alphonso shrugged. 

“You’re paying to watch guys get hurt.”

Bobby was silent for a moment. His facial expression softened, and his eyes were a little larger than before. “Maybe it would hurt less if you were there…” he suggested slowly.

“Oh, no. I see what you’re doing,” you accused, furrowing your brows and pointing a finger at him. “You’re trying to use those big eyes against me. Well, it’s not gonna work.”

. . .

You and Alphonso were in the audience waiting to see Bobby fight. His eyes definitely worked; Alphonso kept trying to tease you, but one threat later and he dropped it. Soon, Kong took his place, crouching in the corner of the ring, as Tiger announced his opponent.

“We have the champion of India! The s-s-s-s-s-snake!” he hissed as the crowd hissed along with him. “King Kobra!” Kong menacingly stood up and waited for the command. 

“Fight!”

For the duration of the entire fight, your hand was practically glued to your mouth in concern. It was hard, though. On one hand, he was getting beaten to a bloody pulp and forced to lose, but on the other, it was hot to see him fight. The way his muscles tensed and relaxed with every punch or kick was mesmerizing. Everytime he got hit, you winced or gasped worriedly. 

Tiger must have spotted you in the crowd, for he stopped his commands in the ring and raised the microphone up to his mouth. Kong must have noticed as well, because he delivered a shockingly heavy punch to King Kobra, knocking him off balance. A loud cheer came out of you, earning a surprised look from Alphonso, but he soon joined in. That was enough to redirect Tiger’s attention away; he started yelling insults at Kong again. 

After the fight, Alphonso immediately left to collect his earnings. 

“I can’t believe you’re betting.”

“What?” he shrugged. “If I’m gonna be here, I might as well make some cash. Want some?”

“No,” you deadpanned. Your eyes scanned the arena, trying to find Kong. He was supposed to meet you after the fight. “Actually,” you doublebacked, holding out your manicured hand. “Only a little. Just enough for dinner.” Alphonso laughed with his finger in your face before handing you some cash. It wasn’t enough. “Dinner for two,” you corrected. 

Alphonso raised a brow in mock suspicion, but his grin ruined it. “Are you…?”

“I’m hungry and I’m sure Bobby is as well. I was going to suggest grabbing some dinner,” you stated objectively, as if that was the only reason. 

The short man chuckled. “So then can I come?”

“No.” 

Alphonso scoffed and crossed his arms, but there was a glint in his eye. “Whatever, man. But I’m not driving you home in Nicki then.”

“That’s fine, I was just going to walk.” 

He pouted. “You don’t want to take Nicki?” he whined in offense. Shaking your head in amusement, you bid him farewell and waited for Kong. It didn’t take long. 

Bobby returned to you–slightly bruised and with specks of dried blood along his hairline–with a big smile. It looked like he had tried to clean himself up a bit before coming out. He laughed as he approached. “So, how was it?”

“It was…interesting,” you answered. You were about to elaborate before you noticed a slow stream of blood flowing down his face, just above his eyebrow. A scab must have torn while he was on his way to you. “Oh–baby,” you sighed. “You’re bleeding.”

“What?” His brows furrowed and he walked to the nearest reflective surface that he could find. Looking around, you spotted some napkins at the bar nearby. 

“Come here,” you ordered, grabbing his hand and making your way to the bar. He was a little surprised and stiffened up, but he quickly recovered and tightened his grip on your hand. Grabbing some napkins, you gestured to a bar stool. “Sit.” 

He stared at his scarred palms for a very long time before focusing his gaze on you.

His eyes followed your every movement as you blotted his eyebrow and wiped away the blood. You tried to ignore his staring; it was very distracting. The bar stool luckily gave you the perfect height advantage to properly reach his face.

 “Thank you,” he said after you were done. 

You hummed in acknowledgement and lightly shook your head. “What am I going to do with you, Monkey Man?” He smiled in response.

Making your way out of the stuffy building, you both walked aimlessly along the road. Bobby was trying to make you laugh, and he succeeded a few times. He had loosely twirled around a street lamp but was interrupted when his stomach growled, which earned a quiet giggle. He chuckled in embarrassment. 

“Hungry?”

“Only if you are,” he shrugged, but you rolled your eyes. Holding up some cash, you placed it in his hand. “What’s this for?”

“Dinner,” you answered. “Alphonso’s paying.” 

“I know a place!” Bobby lit up and gingerly grabbed your hand, immediately dragging you down the street. Once arriving at a street vendor, he slowed his pace. He realized that his hand was still in yours and quickly dropped it, laughing out of nervousness. Smiling slightly, you snaked your hand into the crook of his elbow and left it there. Bobby’s smile grew along with his flushed face. 

“Have you ever been here before?” You shook your head. “What would you like?”

“Whatever you think is good, I’ll have.”

“Four samosas,” he ordered. “Oh, and two regular paan.” As the vendor was making your meals, he bent down slightly to whisper into your ear. “I just got my regular to play it safe.” Your food was quickly made and Bobby handed over some money. You both sat along the roadside curb and started eating. 

“This is really good!” you complimented after taking your first bite.

Bobby swallowed. “Thanks. I come here pretty often.” 

“I can see why. I’ll have to start coming here too.” 

Finishing your food, Bobby stood up and extended his rough hand for you to take. Helping you up, he continued to hold your hand as you walked while you smoothly guided him to the area that you lived in. 

“This was nice,” he said quietly, hand squeezing yours ever so slightly. 

“It was,” you agreed. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“You know, it did hurt less-” he started, breaking the silence that had formed. “-with you being there.”

Your cool exterior broke as you let out a short laugh. “I’m glad.”

“I think you’ll have to come to all of my fights now.”

“Don’t push it.” 

Bobby laughed and squeezed your hand again. You squeezed back. Raising your entangled hands, you asked, “What happened, Bobby?” 

He hummed in confusion. 

“Your hands.”

“Oh.” Bobby dropped your hands and looked at his own. “Fire. Although I do work with my hands a lot, so some of its chemical burns.” You reached for his hand and inspected it. 

“Does it hurt?” You softly traced a finger down his palm to his fingers. Bobby swallowed. 

“Not anymore.” You ran your fingers back up to his palm and interlaced your hands. Bobby was silent for a very long time as he was lost in thought. “You know…” he started slowly. “My name’s not Bobby.”

“Well I guessed that,” you chuckled. “Don’t tell me it’s not Romeo either?”

The man huffed in fake annoyance, then smiled as he nodded. “I’m tired of you calling me by my fake name–names,” he corrected. “I want you to call me by my real name.” Watching him curiously, your hand tightened in his as you waited for the reveal. “...Only if you tell me yours. Deal?”

Nodding slowly, you agreed.

“My name is Devu,” he explained nervously, eyes piercing into yours. “My mother picked it. She used to yell it across the whole forest when I would run off,” he smiled sadly. You squeezed his hand back.

“Devu…” you tested. He looked at you anxiously, his eyes wide. “...I like it,” you smiled. You told him your name and he whispered it several times, his smile growing with each repetition. Suddenly, you laughed in disbelief. “I can’t believe it,” you giggled. “I’ve known you for weeks and I’m just now learning your name.”

“I could say the same to you.” Devu’s eyes twinkled. He shifted his hand to better grasp yours.

The rest of the walk was in silence. You kissed Devu on the cheek and told him goodnight when you reached the temple. He watched the shadows absorb your figure, leaving him alone under the street lights.